Monday, June 30, 2014

Swatch Post! Black Rose Minerals : Runes, Scabbed Wings, Steele, and Tourniquet!

From the website: A deep and dark forest green, this robust shade is meant for true Viking spirits. Wear it dry for a smoky, shimmery green with a distinct black base. Wear it wet for a vibrant green that shows off a black undertone.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: iron oxide, mica, titanium dioxide, tin oxide, chromium oxide green, carnauba wax, silicon dioxide, glitter powder, magnesium myristate, (glycidoxphenol)/propane/bisaminomethylnorbornane copolymer, D&C black #2 and polyester 3.

SAFE FOR EYES, FACE AND NAILS. 
NOT LIP SAFE.

Personal Comments: Part of the Luciferi collection. One of my favorite shades in this collection. The green is dark and vibrant. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: This devilish little number starts with a black base, orange undertones show off a bronzy duotone. Finish that off with violet sparks for quite a shocking twist. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: iron oxide, mica, titanium dioxide, tin oxide, carnauba wax, silicon dioxide, glitter powder, calcium aluminum borosilicate, magnesium myristate and silica.

SAFE FOR EYES, LIPS, FACE AND NAILS.

Personal Comments: Part of the Luciferi collection. A blackened gold with added shimmer. This is a very shimmery shade. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: This dark and glittery steel shade has a matte black base to deepen the tone. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: iron oxide, mica, titanium dioxide, glitter powder, carnauba wax, silicon dioxide and magnesium myristate.

SAFE FOR EYES, LIPS, FACE AND NAILS.

Personal Comments: Part of the Luciferi collection. A black base eyeshadow with enough shimmer to give it a silvery blue appearance in more than just a highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: A metallic gold in a black base and an ever so slight tint of a green highlight gives just a bit of a twist.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: iron oxide, mica, titanium dioxide, tin oxide, bronze powder, carnauba wax, magnesium myristate, silicon dioxide and glitter powder.

SAFE FOR EYES, LIPS, FACE AND NAILS

Personal Comments: Part of the Luciferi collection. A muted blackened gold shade. Less shimmery than others in the collection. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.



Saturday, June 28, 2014

5 Vivacious Violets


We have come to the end of our Colors of the Rainbow series, finishing off with violet!



Valentine's pick - Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Bruised Violet Compound 

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Bruised Violet Compound is part of their Pharmacopoeia collection (labeled in fine print, for the wise guys, morons, and slip-and-fall lawyers, "Not to be taken internally") and advertises itself thusly: Promotes vigor in undeath and relieves the discomforts and complaints so common to incorporeal spirits! The learned and eminent scholar Alessandro Cagliastro once remarked “Long experience has taught me to prize Doctor Constantine's Compounds above all others!”

Its notes are crushed violets, red currant, patchouli root and spanish moss.

Violets are one of my favorite scents--I adore the horrifically soapy-floral C. Howard's Violet Mints. This violet scent takes a different tack from most other violet scents I've come across, though; instead of a Victorian-tinged, sugared-violet feminine concoction, it takes more of a classic chypre approach, muddying the violet with huge helpings of earthy, dirty oakmoss, a bit of patchouli, and with tangy, almost fizzy redcurrant brightening up the top of the scent. I love the contrast of the dark basenotes and the sweet floral/tart fruit overlay. It's not something I reach for often, but every so often, it does relieve the discomforts and complaints of my (still-corporeally-bound) spirits.


AG's pick - DreamWorld Hermetica's Kiss of Midnight

I've recently rediscovered my DreamWorld blushes, which I received when I did a swap with shop owner Ellie. Since I've heartily embraced the purple blush trend, the deep purple called Kiss of Midnight is one of my favorites. It's a rich matte purple base with some added sparkles, and it blends out beautifully to give you softly purple cheeks. I love pairing purple blushes like this with a dark purple lip color for a dramatic look!



Lisa's pick - One Hand Washes The Other's Stolen Bouquet

OHWTO's overtly purple floral Stolen Bouquet raises a lot of questions. It's described as, "Purple blooms sneakily gathered from the gardens of others while nobody was looking- lilacs and violets, accented with orchids, with a dash of powdery vanilla added to ground the scent." But why was the bouquet stolen? Why did the thief specifically only snag violet-hued flowers? What were they thinking sprinkling powdery vanilla over their pilfered loot? Maybe it was like the story of Rapunzel, except instead of sneaking into the witch's garden for spinach, his pregnant wife absolutely needs every purple and violet flower.

Either way, Stolen Bouquet is a curious fragrance. I often have difficulty with violet notes, and many times they quickly flatten into something reminiscent of Play-Doh on my skin. Stolen Bouquet tries its darndest not to let that happen though. The opening notes are gloriously damp - flowers picked straight from the garden still covered in dripping morning dew.

After they "dry off" (which is usually an hour or so after application) there's a bragging competition waging between the lilac and violet notes. Both want the spotlight and are desperate for attention. The violet eventually wins out and the only thing I imagine keeping this from becoming Eau de Play-Doh is that sprinkling of vanilla. I do wish there was a bit of tuberose in this blend to take the edge off all the violet, or maybe a bit more vanilla to smooth it out into something a bit creamier. I usually get a good 6 hours of wear, although silage in the beginning is a bit potent so take care when applying.


Jeannie's pick - Femme Fatale Cosmetics' Exorcism 

I can never have enough purple eyeshadows, and Exorcism was one of my first jar-sized purchases from Femme Fatale Cosmetics (pictured is a 3g mini jar with a sifter). It is described on the website as "a medium toned purple with a stunning colour shifting shimmer which alternates between a complimentary purple and a sea green depending on the angle of the light." On me, the green shift has to hit the light at just the right angle to be seen and I find the pinky purple shimmer to be more noticeable in direct sunlight. Since this is such a bold colour, I like to use it as an all-over lid shade with a light brown to blend out the crease.


Kristin's pick - Darling Girl Cosmetics' Zombie Queen

My favorite Violet is actually a duo-chrome by Darling Girl Cosmetics. Zombie Queen is a sheer pink with a slight pale green hint straight on but when applied over a dark base, it turns into a deep purple shade. We featured this eyeshadow in a swatch post late last year but it's one of those shades that I could look at over and over.

What are your favorite indie violets? Let us know below in the comments! 

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Friday, June 27, 2014

Random Product Review! Propoxyphene Blush by My Pretty Zombie!

Purchased

Propoxyphene is of the few My Pretty Zombie blushes that we didn't cover during last year's blush overview. This is MPZ's only matte blush offering and it's an excellent everyday shade (and a great intro blush for anyone new to the indie world and scared of shimmer).


From the website: Propoxyphene blush is a matte bubble gum pink.

Ingredients: mica, zinc oxide, kaolin clay, magnesium myristrate, carmine, titanium dioxide

Since our last post on MPZ blushes, the company has introduced another shade to their line-up, a very unique dark grey shade called Morphine. MPZ has never been a company to stick to the standard shades and this particular blush is definitely one of those on the sidelines. Readers! Have any of you tried it? Let us know!

Purchase Link

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Thursday, June 26, 2014

Collection Spotlight: Femme Fatale's Shiro Exclusives!


Hey everyone! I have a very exciting collection to show you! A few weeks ago, the beloved Australia-based  Femme Fatale Cosmetics began stocking the beloved US-based Shiro Cosmetics. As part of the launch, we learned Femme Fatale has some Shiro products that are exclusive to the FFC shop. I'm a little obsessed with Shiro, so despite the hefty shipping costs from Australia, I had to have them. I purchased the full set (you can see the listing here) and I'll be reviewing it for you today! The product names are all based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

I handled the lip gloss swatches, but I want to thank Kristin for kindly doing the eyeshadow swatches!
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From the website: I Didn’t Vote For You eye shadow by Shiro Cosmetics. Exclusive to Femme Fatale!
A shimmery warm grey with strong copper-gold duochrome.

Ingredients: Mica, Carnauba Wax, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Tin Oxide, Bronze Powder, Silica. Lip safe.

Personal Comments: This is a stunner! I've said before that I love how Shiro does metallics, and this shade looks like molten gold... albeit sparkly molten gold! It looks really unassuming in the jar but man is it gorgeous over a sticky base. I suspect it has tiny pink sparkles on it, but it doesn't push the shade into rose gold territory. I love Shiro's gold shades in particular, and I'm very happy to add this to my collection. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: I Feel Like Dancing eye shadow by Shiro Cosmetics. Exclusive to Femme Fatale!
A soft blue-violet with a bright purple shift.

Ingredients: Mica, Carnauba Wax, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Tin Oxide, Ultramarine Blue.

Not lip safe.

Personal Comments: Like "I Didn't Vote For You", I had a very happy surprise when I applied this over a sticky base. The shade has a blue-lavender base, but it's mostly covered by a very strong light purple duochrome that glows under bright lights. I absolutely love it! When I examine it closely, I see it has a ton of tiny pink sparkles. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Smelt of Elderberries lip gloss by Shiro Cosmetics. Exclusive to Femme Fatale!

Somewhat sheer purpley-rose with an intense violet highlight. Smells like sugared blackberries and plums!

Ingredients: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, ethylene/proplene/styrene copolymer, butylene/styrene copolymer, meadowfoam seed oil, cocoa butter, red #27, red #33, mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, vitamin E, flavour.

Personal Comments: Regular readers know my love of Shiro's gloss formula, and Smelt of Elderberries doesn't disappoint. It's a bright fuchsia to my eyes, perhaps leaning a bit purple. I found it of moderate opacity rather than sheer, so lovers of opaque gloss shouldn't be scared away by the shop description. The lip swatch photo above was one layer (that is, only what I had on the applicator after a single dip in the tube) to give you an idea. I did see a bit of a violet flash when turning my head in bright lighting, but it's not what I would call intense.

I didn't read the scent description before testing it out, and I thought it smelled of very sweet fake raspberry. The scent fades quickly after application, so it shouldn't bother anyone with a sensitive nose. I noted that it stained my arm on contact, so I've got a pink stripe even after washing it off. Due to the staining, I'd recommend careful application, lest you wind up looking like you've just enjoyed a popsicle!

Purchase Link

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What do you think of the collection? Are any of the shades worth the cost to ship from Australia?

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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Swatch Post! Star Crushed Minerals : Heavenly Gold, Jade Sunrise, Matte Teal, and Nutmeg Shimmer!

From the website: Semi sheer gray color with gold shimmer and silver sparkles throughout.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, serecite mica, mica, oxides, tin oxide

Personal Comments: A matte grey eyeshadow base with subtle shimmer. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: A semi sheer shimmery pink color with subtle jade undertones.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, serecite mica, micas,oxides, carmine

Personal Comments: A pale pink eyeshadow with a satin finish and silver shimmer. I didn't see the jade undertones but there's a slight golden highlight. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: Semi opaque matte deep teal color.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, serecite mica, mica, tin oxide

Personal Comments: A completely matte baby blue. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: This is a nutmeg brown color with a soft copper shimmer.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: oxides, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, serecite mica, mica

Personal Comments: A matte brown eyeshadow base with added shimmer. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Perfume Review - Black Violet's Red Lotus

Black Violet Red Lotus Review
Red Lotus is a masterful blend of fruity and floral.

Lychee is a curious fruit. I love lychee drinks, lychee ice cream, the scent of lychee is such a pleasant blend of fruity exoticism and something nearly familiar (perhaps a distant pineapple cousin). Despite all this, I've never actually eaten a true-blue (pink?) lychee. Despite this, I know exactly what lychee smells like, so when I initially made my first Black Violet purchase, I impulsively snagged a full size vial of Red Lotus, and it was totally worth the splurge!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Collection Spotlight: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Collection by Shiro Cosmetics!

Purchased


Watch out fandom! Shiro Cosmetics has just released a brand new collection.
A collection inspired by Joss Whedon’s wildly popular Avengers movie, which features Robert Downey Jr. being witty, and also has some other people doing stuff! 
The full collection is made up of ten eyeshadows, a finishing powder, and a lipgloss. The inspirations for the eyeshadows are a little more straightforward than Shiro's past offerings but as we expect from the company, the shades are spot on. 


As a set, the eyeshadows lean much more muted than some of Shiro's older, more vibrant sets. They're very everyday wearable as a result. 

Individual swatches after the jump!

Friday, June 20, 2014

Random Product Reviews: Shiro June 2014 CotM and LE Detrivores!



Hi everyone! Though we normally only feature one product on our Random Product Review Fridays, today you're getting three! I've got a bunch of awesome Shiro Cosmetics products to show you, and my co-blogger Kristin is kindly helping me with her beautiful swatch collages so we can get them up as quickly as possible. Keep an eye out for more Shiro and Detrivore posts coming soon, including a very exciting one going up on Monday!

Today I have three limited edition Shiro and Detrivore products to show you. The first is Shiro's Color of the Month for June 2014, and the second and third are Detrivore eyeshadows which are only available in limited quantities. Many thanks to Kristin for providing these gorgeous swatches!
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From the website: A color for the most adorable of soft fluffy rodents with teeny little feets! Eeeeeee!

Velvety heather grey with strong purple duochrome and sparkle. Suggestion by Jennifer L.

Ingredients: mica, carnauba wax, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, synthetic fluorophylogopite, silica. Lip-safe!

Personal Comments: Chinchillin' is a fun color! Like many glittery shades, it really shines over primer, so as I write this description I'm examining the shade patted over a thin layer of Darling Girl Glitter Glue. The base color is one of those marvelous shades that can look light gray, grayed blue, or soft lavender depending on the lighting. A purple-pink sheen flashes across the base color as I rotate my arm under the light, and it's totally packed with what appear to be very reflective purple-pink and silver sparkles. If the combination of gray and pink appeals to you, I highly recommend picking up a jar of this before it's gone at the end of June 2014.

Swatch pics taken over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. Pictures taken in direct sunlight.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Vegan, Lip Safe

Matte reddened violet.

Price is for one full-size jar. Limited quantities available!

Ingredients: serecite mica, carnauba wax, iron oxide, magnesium myristrate.

Personal Comments: This shade is less warm-toned than I expected based on the description, though it does appear to be a soft violet with some pink. Detrivore's matte formula is quite nice - it's incredibly soft (so watch for powder kickup) and it seems to perform just as well over bare skin as over primer. Though supposedly Darling Girl's Glitter Glue is compatible with mattes, Endangered did not perform well over it; it darkened and took on an uneven appearance.

I tried Endangered on as a blush, and it is just as irresistible a cheek color as I expected. On my fair skin it gives me a very natural and subtle pink flush (please note Kristin, who did the swatches above, has skin a couple shades darker than I do). In fact, Endangered reminded me a lot of Little Sparrow's blush in Lilac, so I swatched the two side by side to compare. Lilac is brighter and a bit warmer than Endangered, and it has a white base rather than Endangered's "sheer" base. Purchasing Endangered as a blush might not be the most cost-effective option, but if you buy it and find you don't like it as an eyeshadow, you have an excellent backup plan. It's lip safe to boot, and would likely make a lovely gloss color.

Endangered is only available in limited quantities, so I recommend picking it up sooner rather than later!

Swatch pics taken over Urban Decay Primer Potion. Blended out picture taken on bare skin. Pictures taken in direct sunlight.

Purchase Link

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From the website: Vegan, Lip Safe

Matte pastel pinky-violet.

Price is for one full-size jar. Limited quantities available!

Ingredients: serecite mica, carnauba wax, iron oxide, magnesium myristrate.

Personal Comments: I believe the shop description for Plasma is very accurate. This one is light and pastel enough that it's hard to see on my pale (~NC15) skin. Fortunately, it shows up much better over Kristin's skin in the swatches above, as her skin is a couple of shades darker than mine. I tried swatching Plasma over Darling Girl Glitter Glue in order to write this description and found it behaved just as poorly as Endangered did on a sticky base. Over bare skin it disappears very quickly when I rub it, so the shade would probably work best over a silicone primer.

Like Endangered, I tried this on as a blush. It's light enough that it took a couple of layers to barely become visible on my cheeks, so it wasn't quite as much of a blush success as Endangered. Also like Endangered, Plasma is only available in limited quantities, so make sure to order it soon if you'd like it!

Swatch pics taken over Urban Decay Primer Potion. Blended out picture taken on bare skin. Pictures taken in direct sunlight.

Purchase Link

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What do you think of these limited edition products? Will you be picking any up?

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Thursday, June 19, 2014

Company Overview: Explore the wide product range of My Beauty Addiction!

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Today we're showing you our thoughts on My Beauty Addiction! I've been wanting to try out My Beauty Addiction's Lip Paints for awhile now after seeing swatches of their incredible colour range (those of you on the hunt for blue, green, and similar lipsticks, check them out!).

Packaging: 

My order was packed in a bubble-wrap padded envelope, and the items inside were grouped together in smaller bundles with extra bubble-wrap padding. I ordered several sample bundles, which were grouped together by product in sealed plastic bags.

Selection: 

My Beauty Addiction has an absolutely massive catalogue, and I'm sure any beauty addict will be able to find something they'll like! There are a variety of lip products, eye products, glitters, mineral foundations, blushes and bronzers, primers and finishing powders, brushes, false eyelashes, cosmetic paints, body scrubs, face care, body wash and soaps, lotions/butters, perfume/deodorant, nail products, and hair care.
         
HD Lip Paint samples in Truth or Dare and O.C.D., Color Rich Lipstick sample in Peach

Samples: 

Samples are available for most of the colour cosmetics, for around $1. They are packaged in clear plastic clamshells.

Kristin adds: I'm probably just spoiled by the massive samples of other indies but the eyeshadow samples are pretty sparse. We've done a swatch post with their eyeshadows and the jar pictures were taken on first arrival. The listings on the website say that eyeshadow samples contain .3g of product. The eyeshadow samples sell for $2 each.


Quality:

I haven't played around with all of the samples I have yet, but the first one I tried was the Color Rich Lipstick sample in Peach. I was hoping it would be more pigmented a bit creamier so I probably won't be purchasing a full-sized tube. I was much happier with the HD Lip Paints, they were richly pigmented and had an almost whipped texture that remind me of Lush's Lip Tint. As with any opaque matte lip product, I recommend making sure lips are well moisturised beforehand because they can be drying.

Kristin adds: The eyeshadows were nice and smooth on application. The product that I was most excited about were the Color Rich Lipsticks. On first application, it seemed like a perfect product! The lipstick felt great and the color was awesomely opaque. Unfortunately, after a bit it started slipping around and the color started to look patchy. The lipstick is very soft and started to lose its shape after one application straight from the bullet. It did that squish thing back into the tube. If you're looking for a short term but excellent looking product, try these out! They look fantastic for a short bit.

AG adds: Kristin kindly gave me a mini Whipped Body Frosting in the scent Honeysuckle to try out. It's thick but absorbs amazingly well - I think it felt fully absorbed within 30 seconds of rubbing it in, which is downright astonishing for such a thick lotion. It left me with a smooth, almost silicone-y feel after it had absorbed, though the product contains no silicones. Though the ingredients lists are vastly different, I found the texture and performance quite comparable to CeraVe's lotion tub. Delighted as I was by the product's performance, though, the scent was a major drawback. I found the Honeysuckle fragrance to be fake, overly sweet, and too strong for my taste. Much as I enjoy the formula, I find myself avoiding using the lotion because the scent can be headache-inducing. Make sure you love the scent, or purchase an unscented version, if you give this product a try!


Cost:

Due to the immense range I won't be comparing the prices of all the products, but from what I observed, the prices seem to be on par with other indie brands. One of their most popular products, the HD Lip Paints, are available for sale in 4 sizes: 3 samples for $4, $5 slim tubes, $5.50 5-gram jars, and $7.50 full size tubes. The jars contain the same weight as the tubes, so you can save some money if you'd prefer them in jar form.  

Customer Service:

I did not have to contact customer service, however they are very active on their Facebook page and appear to respond to most questions/comments quickly. 

Matte eyeshadow samples in Sepia, Fawn, Khaki, Ochre, and Nudey Booty; Mineral samples in Buff, Goddess Glow Bronzer, Illuminate Soft Focus Illuminize, Light Beige, and Translucent Mineral Veil 

TAT:

I couldn't find a turn-around-time listed on the site, but my order shipped two business days after it was placed.
 
Shipping:

According to their Shipping & Returns page, U.S. shipments are usually delivered in 3-7 days (USPS First Class Mail) or 2-3 days (Priority Mail). There are also Express Mail options (U.S. only) available for delivery within 1-2 business days.

I received my order 8 business days after it was shipped, which is pretty good for an international brand shipping to Australia.

I was a little bit surprised by the shipping cost, which was $15, since my order contained mostly samples with a few full-sized items. If I were to order again in the future, it would have to be a large order and probably during a sale to make the shipping cost worth it. On the website it states that international shipping costs ~$10-12 more than U.S. shipping.

Personal Thoughts:

I was more impressed by the large product range than I was with the quality of the samples I tried. While My Beauty Addiction is a great one-stop shop, I think I'd look to smaller indies who have perfected their product formulas. Not to say that anything was particularly bad, I wasn't terribly disappointed by anything and I've definitely been more upset with products I've bought from mainstream brands (both high-end and drugstore). I do recommend trying out the HD Lip Paints if you're after opaque, matte lip products, and especially if you're looking for them in non-conventional shades.

Have you tried My Beauty Addiction? What are your favourite products from them?

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Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Swatch Post! Darling Girl Cosmetics Blushes : Blushing Heart, Cheeky, Curious Crocus, and Fantasia!

From the website: Deep red/violet with gold shift.  

Ingredients: Mica, Myristic Acid, Magnesium Hydroxide, Boron Nitride, Red #40, Ultramarines, Titanium Dioxide and Tin Oxide. 

NOT Lip Approved.

Personal Comments: Blushing Heart is an Inner Glow Blush. A darker pinky red blush with added shimmer. Applied over bare skin. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: Bright cheery pinky coral, nearly matte. 

Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Magnesium Myristate, Polyester 3, D&C Colorant and Tin Oxide. 

NOT Eye Safe.

Personal Comments: Cheeky is a Soft Focus Blush. This is one of my favorite DGC blushes. It's a soft pink with the slightest golden glow. Applied over bare skin. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: Sheer ivory that rubs down to a lovely golden glow.

Ingredients: Mica, Myristic Acid, Magnesium Hydroxide, Titanium Dioxide, Tin Oxide and Silica.

Personal Comments: Curious Crocus is an Inner Glow BlushThis is one of DGC's highlighter blushes. When blended out, the shimmer is all that's left. Applied over bare skin. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: It's a gorgeous orange/coral with a very subtle violet shift. 

Ingredients: Serecite, Boron Nitride, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Tin Oxide, Magnesium Stearate and FD&C Red #40.

Personal Comments: Fantasia is an Inner Glow BlushIt's VERY orange in direct light. Apply sparingly to get more of a coral glow. Applied over bare skin. This picture was taken outside in natural light.




Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Perfume Review: Blooddrop For Untitled (From The Cure - Disintegration collection)




Blooddrop created a series of perfumes several years back (in 2009, I think?) that were inspired by individual songs on The Cure's 1989 album Disintegration. These were rereleased earlier this year, with the gaps filled in so that each song on the album had its own scent. I love synaesthetic pairings like this (since I don't have synaesthesia myself--if I did, I'm sure the apparent mislabelings would be maddening!) so I purchased a bottle of the scent that seemed the most appealing, For Untitled, with notes of vanilla, cocoa, myrrh, and anise, and sat down with it to soak in melancholia and write up a review with a raven-feather quill.

Price: It was $15 for a 5 mL amber glass bottle of perfume oil. Unfortunately, I narrowly missed the window where this was still on the site--looks like it was taken down after I drafted up my review! If you're interested, I would suggest emailing Astrid to ask if there are any leftovers. I've seen older or discontinued scents pop up before in the Etsy shop or Surprisey Mystery perfume section.
Samples: Not available for limited edition scents such as this one.
Shipping: More details on shipping can be found in our Company Overview post about Blooddrop.
Description from the website: "Longingly, wistfully, tormented, la fin. Flaxen vanilla musk, gold musk, Tahitian vanilla, Egyptian myrrh, cocoa absolute ever so slightly tarnished with anise."

My thoughts:
This goes onto the skin with a strong, buttery French vanilla frosting or ice cream note that almost immediately dissipates into a tropical, pina-colada, fruity-smelling vanilla. I assume this pineapple-like aroma is due to the use of Tahitian vanilla, which is rarer and more expensive than Mexican or Madagascar vanilla, and frequently described as having more of a fruity-floral, cherry-like, licorice-tinged flavor, with lower levels of vanillin.

For Untitled reminds me, quite honestly, of places where Robert Smith would not feel at home at all: sundrenched beaches, tiki bars, tropical jungles full of lush greenery. I don't mind that at all, and it's certainly not as overtly tropical-fruity and feminine as a scent like Arcana's Bloom, so don't be scared off if you're not into sunshine or drinks with tiny umbrellas. It reminds me most of a Black Phoenix Alchemy Christmas scent from a few years back called The First of the Three Spirits, which was supposed to smell like amber, vanilla, and flowers, but always smelled quite pineapple-like to me.

The scent gradually mellows and deepens to a more woodsy, dry vanilla, less sweet, and tinted instead with the resinous myrrh and herbal-licorice note of the anise, with a fluffy and somewhat powdery texture from the musk notes. It has a faint bitterness that I feel at the back of my throat if I inhale deeply. I never really smell the cocoa absolute note at all, unless it's contributing to the slightly powdery impression; the two most prominent notes end up being the anise and the vanilla.

It eventually dries to a soft, clean, lightly musky vanilla-anise scent that retains a hint of the fruity pineapple without smelling like a tropical drink anymore. It lingers close to the skin, and the final impression is dry enough to be unisex. I could see this being a signature scent for someone, the type of thing you wear every day--it's distinctive enough to be interesting rather than excessively boring or clean, but it's also not a huge, sexy night-out statement perfume.

This scent is vegan.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Swatch Post! Glamour Doll Eyes : Courageous, Graves in May, Rocket, Sex Appeal, Tabloid, and Undercover!

From the website: Matte gray/slight blue with orange sheen.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Mica, Ultramarines; Pigment Blue 29, Tin Oxide, Iron Oxide.

Vegan?: Yes.

Approved For: eyes, face & nails. 

Personal Comments: Part of the Matte Squared Collection. A light grey shade with a matte base and added shimmer. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: grey with pink undertones and multi colored shimmer.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Magnesium Stearate, Iron Oxide, Tin Oxide, Pigment Violet.

Vegan?: Yes.

Approved For: eyes, face, lips & nails. 

Personal Comments: I didn't see any of the grey in this eyeshadow. It's a very pretty warm pink though with some brown notes and a shimmery finish. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: It is almost a gray with blue and dark dark purple undertones with gold shimmer. Very complex color. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Carmine.

Vegan?: No.

Approved For: eyes, face & nails. 

Personal Comments: A pretty taupe neutral. This eyeshadow has a silver-y/chrome base with a strong golden shimmer. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


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From the website: a gorgeous blend of silver and teal with a dark purple undertone.

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Manganese Violet (Pigment Violet 16), Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Yellow #5, Blue #1, Palmitic Acid.

Vegan?: Yes.

Approved For: eyes, lips, face & nails. 

Personal Comments: A matte blue/purple eyeshadow base with added shimmer. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

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From the website: a maroon with pink sparkles. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Mica, Iron Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Ferric Ferrocyanide.

Vegan?: Yes.

Approved For: eyes, face, & nails. 

Personal Comments: A dark red with a satin finish. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.

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From the website: taupish brown. 

Eye Shadow Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Magnesium Stearate, Iron Oxide, Tin Oxide.

Vegan?: Yes.

Approved For: eyes, face, lips & nails. 

Personal Comments: I usually think of taupe shades as having grey in them but I didn't see any grey in this eyeshadow. It's a warm brown with a soft shimmery finish. Applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion and Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. This picture was taken outside in natural light.


Saturday, June 14, 2014

Swatch Post! Little Sparrow Cosmetics Blushes!


Hi everyone! Today I have a long overdue swatch and review of some of the blushes from Little Sparrow Cosmetics. Jessica kindly provided me a blogger discount for these items. Little Sparrow released these months ago and has since released at least one other collection, so I'm a little behind! I nabbed a big chunk of this release as soon as it came out, because I've loved almost every single thing I've gotten from this brand (check out all our Little Sparrow posts for more raves!). Though my indie wishlist is long, I will definitely be picking up the rest of the Little Sparrow line as soon as my budget allows, and I'm drooling over some of the sneak peeks we're seeing on the brand's Facebook page.


Today I have three blushes to show you: Orchid, Lilac, and Lavender. I believe the sticker labels on these blushes have changed, so check the Etsy shop for more current packaging photos. I also want to note that the shop is closed for another week or two while Jessica preps exciting new products, so I'll update this post with the official descriptions, ingredients lists, and purchase links when it's back up and running.


Just a quick note about the formula - it's marvelous! All of these blended out quickly and very easily with a small fluffy brush. I do want to mention that Lilac and Lavender kicked up some powder as I was blending them, which doesn't bother me in the slightest, but was noticeable enough to be worth mentioning. I can't imagine it will be especially noteworthy when using these on the face, because it takes a lot more blush to swatch than to apply to the cheeks! I also want to mention that the rotating sifter tops are really handy and will make me feel very secure about traveling with these.

Let's look at these awesome blushes! 

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From the website: Orchid is a pink, almost fuchsia tinted blush.

Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Pigment Violet, Magnesium Myristate, Kaolin Clay, Red 7 Lake, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Carnauba Wax

Personal comments: Orchid is a lovely color that I think would suit a range of skin tones. I'm having a tough time finding the right words to describe the color, but it's on the warmer side and midway between medium-toned pink and purple as best I can tell. It's fully matte to my eyes. The swatch is (at least on my screen) very true to what I see on my arm, so if you have a better description, please tell me in the comments! It appears brighter in the jar than it does on the skin, and it blends out to a natural but fun color. I absolutely adore Little Sparrow for carrying unusual blush colors, but if blue and purple cheeks intimidate you, this would be an excellent pick for a more approachable shade. Swatch photo taken outside on a partly cloudy day. Swatches done over bare skin.

Purchase link (tentative while the shop is under construction)
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From the website: Lilac appears to be warmer than Lavender while it's in the jar, but most people find that Lilac is far more suitable to cool skin tones. It buffs out into a purple with blue undertones.

Ingredients: Mica, Pigment Violet, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Myristate, Kaolin Clay, Carnauba Wax

Personal comments: Lilac is a lovely matte light-to-medium purple, and I believe it's more or less neutral toned. I believe this one has a white base, so I'd recommend using a light hand to avoid it looking chalky. For the same reason, it's probably going to be best for lighter skin tones. I also want to mention it I think this could be a good option for anyone who wants to dip their toes into the current purple blush trend without going full-on PURPLE. It's got enough warmth to look like a "normal" blush shade while still being lovely and unusual. As a side note, Little Sparrow's Lip Jelly in Plum Brandy (reviewed here) is another good beginner's purple! Swatch photo taken inside in diffused natural light. Swatches done over bare skin.

Purchase link (tentative while the shop is under construction)

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From the website: Lavender buffs into a very warm purple. It looks cooler than Lilac in the jar, but most people find this is more suitable to warm tones.

Ingredients: Mica, Ultramarines, Magnesium Myristate, Titanium Dioxide, Kaolin Clay, Red 7 Lake, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Carnauba Wax

Personal comments: Lavender is a matte cool-toned purple pastel blush, which is pretty unusual! This one definitely has a white base, so those who like a heavy blush application or have darker skin tones might benefit from trying a sample before investing in a full size. I haven't tried this one in a look yet, but I suspect it could make a really interesting highlight shade to pair with a darker purple blush. I'll be sure to report back if I find good ways to incorporate this into a look! Swatch photo taken inside in diffused natural light. Swatches done over bare skin.

Purchase link (tentative while the shop is under construction)
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Have you tried Little Sparrow blushes? What did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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